Tools

In pursuit of its mission to provide a widely accessible,
state-of-the-art science and engineering infrastructure, NSF
invests in Tools. NSF provides support for large, multi-user
facilities, which allow researchers access to essential state-of-the-art
facilities. Support for these unique national facilities is
necessary to advance U.S. capabilities required for world-class
research. NSF investments include Internet-based and distributed
user facilities, advanced computer resources, research networks,
major research instrumentation, research resources, digital
libraries, and large databases, all of which contribute to
a state-of-the-art science and engineering infrastructure
resource. Facilities and resources supported are shown in
the table below:

(Millions of Dollars)

FY 2001
Actual

FY 2002
Estimate

FY 2003
Estimate

Academic Research Fleet

59

60

62

Advanced Networking Infrastructure

45

48

47

Gemini Observatories

9

12

13

Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology

13

13

13

Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory

19

26

30

Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction

119

139

126

Major Research Instrumentation

75

76

54

National Astronomy Centers

86

87

84

National Center for Atmospheric Research

73

78

75

National STEM Education Digital Library

28

28

28

Ocean Drilling Program Facilities

31

31

30

Partnerships for Advanced Computational Infrastructure

71

74

71

Polar Science, Operations and Logistics

210

219

223

Research Resources

104

106

106

Other Tools1

115

148

160

Total, Tools

$1,055

$1,145

$1,122

Totals may not add due to rounding.1 Includes computational sciences, physics, materials
research, ocean sciences, atmospheric sciences, and earth
sciences facilities, Cornell Electron Storage Ring (CESR),
the National High Field Mass Spectrometry Center, the
MSU Cyclotron, the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory
(NHMFL), the Science and Technology Policy Institute
(STPI), Science Resources Statistics (SRS), and the National
Nanofabrication Users Network (NNUN).

The FY 2003 request for Tools totals $1,122 million,
a $23.0 million decrease from FY 2002. Operations and maintenance
of multi-user facilities and research resources are funded
through the Research and Related Activities (R&RA) and
the Education and Human Resources (EHR) Accounts; major construction
projects are funded through the Major Research Equipment and
Facilities Construction (MREFC) Account.

Academic Research Fleet

The Academic Research Fleet includes ships, submersibles
and large shipboard equipment necessary to support NSF-funded
research and the training of oceanographers. Twenty-eight
ships are included in the U.S. academic fleet, and are operated
on behalf of the research community primarily through NSF
funding. Large ships are used for distant-water, expeditionary
projects such as global change research; intermediate-sized
ships support individual investigator research; and smaller
regional ships are available for local and coastal research.
Special purpose ships are used for submersible and remotely
operated vehicle studies. NSF's FY 2003 support for the Academic
Research Fleet totals $62.0 million, a $2.10 million increase
over FY 2002, to provide the resources necessary for enhanced
research in fields related to biocomplexity and planetary
dynamics.

Advanced Networking Infrastructure (ANI)

Advanced Networking Infrastructure (ANI) activities
enable and expand scholarly communication and collaboration
by providing researchers and educators with network access
to high performance, remote scientific facilities including
supercomputer facilities and information resources. The very
high performance Backbone Network Service (vBNS), now in a
three-year, no-cost extension phase, together with the high
performance connections program, have led to the development
of a new level of networking for the nation's research universities,
including the UCAID/Internet2 operated network Abilene. ANI
participates in the interagency Next Generation Internet activity
to complement the university-led Internet2 effort jointly
supported by the participating universities and the private
sector. In the Next Generation Internet program, ANI focuses
on advanced, high performance network connectivity between
research institutions, and contributes to the basic infrastructure
for high-end research applications. NSF's FY 2003 support
for ANI facilities is $46.62 million, a decrease of $980,000
from FY 2002.

Gemini Observatories

The two Gemini Telescopes, developed and operated
through an international partnership with Chile, Canada, the
United Kingdom, Brazil, Argentina and Australia, offer world-class
capabilities and unique opportunities to the scientific community.
In particular, these telescopes are optimized for operation
in the infrared region and are able to use adaptive optics,
which at these wavelengths provide a resolving power almost
twice that of the Hubble Space Telescope. The northern telescope,
located on Mauna Kea in Hawaii, achieved first light in December
1998 and began operations on schedule in July 2000. First
light at the southern observatory at Cerro Pachon, Chile was
achieved in November 2000. Science operations commenced at
the Chilean site in FY 2001. The FY 2003 Budget Request includes
$12.60 million for the Gemini Observatories, an increase of
$340,000 over FY 2002, with an emphasis on support for operations
at the two sites.

Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology
(IRIS)

Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology
(IRIS) was created in 1986 to install and operate a global
network of seismometers, provide portable seismometers for
regional studies, and establish a data management system to
provide on-line, distributed access to data on global seismic
activity. The IRIS facility serves the needs of the national
and international seismology community by making available
seismic sensors and data acquisition systems. In addition,
a portion of the Global Seismic Network operated by IRIS is
an integral component of the nation's nuclear test ban treaty
monitoring capabilities. NSF's FY 2003 support for IRIS remains
at the FY 2002 level of $13.10 million.

Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory
(LIGO)

The Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory
(LIGO) construction project began in FY 1992 as a collaboration
between physicists and engineers at the California Institute
of Technology and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
to test the dynamical features of Einstein's theory of gravity
and to study the properties of intense gravitational fields
from their radiation. Today, many other institutions are also
involved. LIGO consists of identical but widely separated
detectors, one in Hanford, Washington, and the other in Livingston,
Louisiana, that are used for fundamental physics experiments
to directly detect gravitational waves and gather data on
their sources. In FY 2003, $29.50 million is requested, an
increase of $3.55 million over FY 2002, in accordance with
the funding schedule for LIGO operations.

Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction
(MREFC)

(Millions of Dollars)

PROJECTS

FY 2001
Actual

FY 2002
Plan

FY 2003
Request

Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) Construction
(Phase II)

12.50

30.00

Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) R&D (Phase
I)

5.99

EarthScope: USArray, SAFOD, PBO

35.00

High-Performance Instrumented Airborne Platform

for Environmental Research (HIAPER)

12.47

35.00

IceCube Neutrino Detector

15.00

Large Hadron Collider (LHC)

16.36

16.90

9.72

Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES)

28.14

24.40

13.56

National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON)1

12.00

South Pole Station

11.38

6.00

Terascale Computing Systems1

44.90

35.00

20.00

Total, Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction
(MREFC)

$119.24

$138.80

$126.28

Totals may not add due to
rounding.1An
additional $3 million for NEON operations, and $7.0 million
for Terascale operations, is funded through the R&RA Account
in FY 2003.

A total of $126.28 million is requested through
the MREFC Account to initiate two new projects and to support
five ongoing projects. Requested funds total $47.0 million
for the two new projects:

EarthScope is planned as a distributed, multi-purpose geophysical
instrument array that will make major advances in our knowledge and
understanding of the structure and dynamics of the North American continent.
The three components of the project are the USArray, the San Andreas
Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD), and the Plate Boundary Observatory
(PBO). Initial funding of $35.0 million is requested for this project.

National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) will be a continental
scale research instrument consisting of 10 geographically distributed
observatories, networked via state-of-the-art communications, for integrated
studies to obtain a predictive understanding of the nation's environments.
In addition, NEON will serve as a biological early detection system
that will provide an invaluable resource and a front line of homeland
defense - both for its scientific potential and for enabling rapid detection
of chemical and biological terrorist threats. Initial funding of $12.0
million is requested for this project for proof of concept prototyping,
and will support the initiation of construction and networking of two
initial sites.

A total of $79.28 million is requested for the
five ongoing projects:

Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA)
Construction (Phase II) is the construction phase
of the Atacama Large Millimeter Array project, supported
in partnership through NSF; NRC (Canada); European Southern
Observatory and CNRS (France), PPARC (UK), MPG (Germany),
NFR(Sweden), NfRA (Netherlands); with the possible addition
of Japan. ALMA is planned as a millimeter wave interferometer
made up of 64 12-meter antennas and will be an aperture-synthesis
radio telescope operating in the wavelength range from
3 to 0.4 mm. The research and development phase of this
project will be completed in FY 2002 and construction
initiated. Funding of $30.0 million is requested in FY
2003 to continue construction.

Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is planned
to be the world's highest energy accelerator facility.
Funded in partnership with CERN (the European Organization
for Nuclear Research) and DOE, NSF participation includes
contributing to the construction of two high-energy particle
detectors, ATLAS (A Toroidal Large Angle Spectrometer)
and CMS (the Compact Muon Solenoid), through cooperative
agreements and subawards to over 50 U.S. universities.
Continued funding of $9.72 million is requested in FY
2003.

Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation
(NEES) will upgrade, modernize, expand and network
major facilities including shake tables used for earthquake
simulations, large reaction walls for pseudo-dynamic
testing, centrifuges for testing soils under earthquake
loading, and field testing facilities. Continued funding
of $13.56 million is requested in FY 2003.

South Pole Station will be expanded
to provide support infrastructure and utilities for 150
people, versus the original capacity for 110. This will
accommodate increased interest in science at the South
Pole. Requested funding of $6.0 million in FY 2003 also
includes revised estimates due to increased fuel costs
and weather-related schedule delays of cargo shipments.

Terascale Computing Systems will provide
access to scalable, balanced, terascale computing resources
for the broad-based academic science and engineering
community served by NSF. Requested funding for Terascale
facilities totals $20.0 million in FY 2003.

NSF is not requesting additional funds in FY 2003
for two projects: the High-performance Instrumented Airborne
Platform for Environmental Research (HIAPER) and the IceCube
Neutrino Detector. Initial operations support for NEON is
funded through the R&RA account. Funding for the Polar
Support Aircraft Upgrades is completed. Additional information
can be found in the MREFC section.

In addition to funding requested through the MREFC
Account, funds are being spent for early planning, design,
research and development of potential future MREFC projects.
Typically these early planning investments are funded within
the Research and Related Activities Account. Whether these
projects ever become formal candidates for the MREFC Account
will be determined by a systematic planning and review process
to determine their scientific merit, feasibility, and readiness.
When possible, these projects are identified and discussed
in the Tools section of each subactivity. Planned and incurred
costs are identified through FY 2003. Since these projects
are only in the early planning and development stages, they
have not been prioritized.

Once a project has been submitted for MREFC funding,
it must undergo a multi-phase review and approval process.
The process begins with a review by the MREFC Panel, which
makes recommendations to the NSF Director with attention to
criteria such as scientific merit, importance, readiness and
cost-benefit. The Director then selects candidates for National
Science Board (NSB) consideration. The NSB then approves,
or not, projects for inclusion in future budget requests.

The Director selects from the group of NSB-approved
projects those appropriate for inclusion in a budget request
to OMB, and after discussion with OMB, to the Congress. Hence,
in addition to the seven MREFC projects for which funding
is requested, there are several NSB approved projects for
which NSF is not requesting additional funds in FY 2003. These
are: the High-performance Instrumented Airborne Platform for
Environmental Research (HIAPER), the IceCube Neutrino Detector,
Rare Symmetry Violating Processes (RSVP), Ocean Observatories,
and Scientific Ocean Drilling. These projects, including their
costs, are further discussed in the MREFC section or in the
Tools section of the cognizant activity.

Major Research Instrumentation (MRI)

The Major Research Instrumentation program is designed
to improve the condition of scientific and engineering equipment
for research and research training in our nation's academic
institutions. This program seeks to foster the integration
of research and education by providing instrumentation for
research-intensive learning environments. In FY 2003, NSF
requests $54.0 million, a decrease of $21.90 million from
FY 2002, for continued support of the acquisition and development
of research instrumentation for academic institutions.

National Astronomy Centers

The three National Astronomy Centers receive approximately
93 percent of their funding from NSF. The FY 2003 Request
totals $96.93 million (including support for the U.S. share
of operations for the International Gemini Observatory):

The main facility of the National Astronomy
and Ionosphere Center (NAIC) is the 305-meter-diameter
radio and radar telescope located at Arecibo, Puerto Rico.
NAIC is a visitor-oriented national research center devoted
to scientific investigations in radio and radar astronomy
and atmospheric sciences. NAIC provides telescope users with
a wide range of research and observing instrumentation, including
receivers, transmitters, movable line feeds, and digital data
acquisition and processing equipment. A major upgrade to the
radio telescope and radar was recently completed. The FY 2003
request includes $9.0 million for NAIC, $400,000 less than
FY 2002, with emphasis on extending the high frequency capabilities
of the upgraded telescope.

The National Optical Astronomy Observatories
(NOAO) provide for research in ground-based optical and infrared
astronomy. NOAO includes Kitt Peak National Observatory, outside
Tucson, Arizona; Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory,
in Chile; the National Solar Observatory, in Arizona and New
Mexico, and the U.S. Gemini Office that provides support for
U.S. astronomers to use the Gemini Observatory. Large optical
telescopes, observing equipment, and research support services
are made available to qualified scientists. Activities in
FY 2003 include continued design planning for the Advanced
Technology Solar Telescope (ATST), an instrument that will
use new techniques such as adaptive optics, to investigate
a wide range of questions in solar physics. The FY 2003 request
includes $31.70 million for NOAO base funding, plus $4.0 million
for the Telescope Systems Instrumentation Program (TSIP) through
NOAO, an overall decrease of $1.0 million from FY 2002.

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory
(NRAO) is headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia, and
operates radio telescopes at sites in Arizona, New Mexico,
and West Virginia. NRAO makes radio astronomy facilities available
to qualified visiting scientists and provides staff support
for use of the large radio antennas, receivers, and other
equipment needed to detect, measure, and identify radio waves
from astronomical objects. In FY 2003, the Robert C. Byrd
Green Bank Telescope will enter full science operations and
the Very Large Array will continue to be improved with its
planned program of enhancements and expansion. The FY 2003
request includes $39.63 million for NRAO operations, $800,000
less than FY 2002.

National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)

National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)
facilities serve the entire atmospheric sciences research
community and part of the ocean sciences community. Facilities
available to university, NCAR, and other researchers include
an advanced computational center providing resources and services
well suited for the development and execution of large models
and for the archiving and manipulation of large data sets.
NCAR also provides research aircraft, which can be equipped
with sensors to measure dynamic physical and chemical states
of the atmosphere. In addition, one airborne and one portable
ground-based radar system are available for atmospheric research
as well as other surface sensing systems. Roughly 30 percent
of the funding for NCAR is provided by non-NSF sources. In
FY 2003, more than 1,500 researchers and students will use
the facilities and approximately 150 visiting scientists will
stay for extended periods. NSF's FY 2003 support for NCAR
totals $74.87 million, a decrease of $3.02 million from FY
2002.

National STEM Education Digital Library

A National STEM Education Digital Library (NSDL)
responds to needs articulated by the NSF, the academic community,
and corporate leaders for accelerating improvements in science,
technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.
The NSDL, capitalizing on recent developments in digital libraries,
will provide: a forum for the merit review and recognition
of quality educational resources; a mechanism for electronic
dissemination of information about high-quality educational
materials, pedagogical practices, and implementation strategies;
a centralized registry and archive for educational resources;
and a resource for research in teaching and learning. In addition,
the NSDL will provide an infrastructure to support and accelerate
the impact of NSF programs. For example, developers of curricula
and courses will benefit from awareness and knowledge of extant
instructional materials, as well as information on their implementation.
NSF support for the NSDL in FY 2003 totals $27.50 million,
a decrease of $960,000 from FY 2002.

Ocean Drilling Program Facilities

The Ocean Drilling Program is a multinational program
of basic scientific research in the oceans that uses drilling
and data from drill holes to improve fundamental understanding
of the role of physical, chemical, and biological processes
in the geological history, structure, and evolution of the
oceanic portion of the Earth's crust. Seven international
partners, comprising 20 countries, share operational support
for this activity. NSF's FY 2003 support for Ocean Drilling
Program facilities totals $30.0 million, a decrease of $1.0
million from FY 2002.

Partnerships for Advanced Computational Infrastructure
(PACI)

The Partnerships for Advanced Computational Infrastructure
program provides access to, and support for, high-end computing
for the national scientific and engineering community, and
the development and application of the necessary software,
tools and algorithms for use on scalable, widely distributed
resources. Funding for FY 2003 is requested at $71.49 million,
a decrease of $2.42 million from FY 2002. In FY 2003, emphasis
will be on scaling additional applications' codes to be ready
for transitions to the Terascale Computing Systems. Archiving
and visualization of very large data resources will continue
to be crucial to support research in disciplinary areas. The
education, outreach and training component of PACI will continue
to broaden and accelerate the capability of the nation to
utilize the advanced computational capabilities being developed.

Polar Science, Operations and Logistics

NSF's FY 2003 support for Polar Science, Operations
and Logistics totals $222.77 million, an increase of $4.15
million over FY 2002. Polar facilities make research possible
in the remote and hazardous Antarctic continent, where all
infrastructure must be provided. In accord with U.S. Antarctic
policy, three year-round Antarctic research stations are operated
and maintained - McMurdo Station on Ross Island, Palmer Station
on Anvers Island, and Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. In
addition, necessary facilities include ski-equipped and fixed-wing
aircraft, helicopters, research vessels (including a specially
constructed ice-breaking research vessel), and an ice-strengthened
supply and support ship. Logistical support for polar facilities
is supplied in part by the Department of Defense. These facilities
support research activities sponsored by NSF, NASA, DOI/USGS,
DOC/NOAA, DOE and DOD.

Arctic facilities include camps and sites for studies
of greenhouse gases, monitoring stations for research on ultra-violet
radiation, ice coring sites for studies of global climate
history, high latitude radar observatories and magnetometers
for upper atmospheric research, use of the U.S. Coast Guard
Cutter Healy, and the use of a vessel from the academic
research fleet for oceanographic research in the Arctic Ocean.

Research Resources

Research Resources supports a range of activities
throughout the Research and Related Activities Account including:
multi-user instrumentation; the development of instruments
with new capabilities, improved resolution or sensitivity;
upgrades to field stations and marine laboratories; support
of living stock collections; facility-related instrument development
and operation; and the support and development of databases
and informatics tools and techniques. These various resources
provide the essential platforms and tools for effective research
in all areas of science and engineering. In FY 2003, funding
for Research Resources increases by $70,000, to a total of
$106.36 million.

Other Tools

This category includes:

Funding for Science Resources Statistics,
a vital tool for researchers and policymakers, providing
them with data and information that is the basis for
making informed decisions and formulating policy about
the nation's science, engineering and technology enterprise.
The primary statistical series produced by the Science
Resources Statistics Subactivity include the education
and employment of scientists and engineers and the performance
and financial support of research and development. NSF
is requesting an additional $8.50 million for implementation
of the extensive redesign and data collection of its
samples and surveys, a decadal process necessary to reflect
the results of the Decennial Census;

Funding for the operations and maintenance
of the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory
(NSCL) at Michigan State University;

Continued support for the operation and maintenance
of the Cornell Electron Storage Ring (CESR) at Cornell
University;

Funding for the Science and Technology Policy
Institute (STPI) to provide analytical support to the
Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to identify
near-term and long-term objectives for research and development,
and to identify options for achieving those objectives;

Continued support for user programs and facilities
at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL),
enabling the NHMFL to properly maintain and upgrade a
unique set of continuous and pulsed-field magnets for
users across a wide range of disciplines; and

Continued support for the National Nanofabrication
Users Network (NNUN), an integrated network of nanofabrication
user facilities at Cornell University, Stanford University,
Howard University, Pennsylvania State University, and
University of California at Santa Barbara.

Other items within this category include facilities
for computational sciences, physics, materials research, ocean
sciences, atmospheric sciences, and earth sciences, the National
High-Field FT-ICR Mass Spectrometry Center, and operations
and maintenance of the Terascale Computing Centers.

FY 2003 GPRA Performance Goals (Tools)

Strategic Outcomes

No.

Annual
Performance Goals
for Strategic
Outcomes1
(Continued)

FY 2003 Areas of Emphasis

For investment
in emerging
opportunities:

For GPRA
reporting,
as relevant:

TOOLS

Outcome Goal:

Providing "broadly
accessible, state-of-the-art and shared
research and education tools."

III-3

NSF's performance2
for the Tools Strategic Outcome is successful
when, in the aggregate, results reported
in the period demonstrate significant
achievement in the majority of the following
indicators:

Development or provision
of tools5 that enables
discoveries or enhances productivity
of NSF research or education communities;

Partnerships with local,
state or federal agencies, national
laboratories, industry or other nations
to support and enable development
of large facilities or other infrastructure;

Development or implementation
of other notable approaches or new
paradigms6 that promote
progress toward the TOOLS outcome
goal.

Scientific databases and tools for using
them, including the National STEM Education
digital library

1 These performance
goals are stated in the alternate form provided for in GPRA
legislation.2For individual programs, performance assessment in practice
refers to a majority of relevant indicators only.5For example, includes research and education infrastructure
such as large centralized facilities, or integrated systems
of leading-edge instruments, or databases, or widely utilized,
innovative computational models or algorithms, or information
that provides the basis for a shared-use networked facility.6For example, broad-based, program-wide results that demonstrate
success related to management/utilization of large data sets/information
bases, or development of information and policy analyses,
or use of the Internet to make STEM information available
to NSF research or education communities, or exceptional examples
of broadly accessible tools shared by NSF research and education
communities.

Highlights of Recent Accomplishments (Tools)

Providing widely-accessible, state-of-the-art science
and engineering infrastructure is an essential part of NSF's
mission. Support for these unique national facilities is necessary
to advance U. S. capabilities required for world-class research.

Partnerships for Advanced Computational Infrastructure
(PACI): PACI researchers are creating a powerful new tool
for using resources on the national "grid" of high-performance
research networks. The Web-based portal grid will help computer
scientists, and other scientists and engineers by simplifying
and consolidating access to advanced computing systems supported
by NSF. Representatives from the National Partnerships for
Advanced Computational Infrastructure (NPACI), the National
Computational Science Alliance (NCSA), the Pittsburgh Supercomputing
Center, and NASA have conducted a series of workshops targeting
specific technologies and resources to include in the effort.
The portal will integrate these and additional new technologies,
such as the Network Weather Service and the San Diego Supercomputing
Center Storage Resource Broker. NPACI unites 46 universities
and research institutions to build the computational environment
for tomorrow's scientific discovery. PACI also provides support
to NCSA, which is developing a prototype for an advanced computational
infrastructure for the 21st Century. NCSA includes
more than 50 academic, government and industry research partners
from across the United States.

National Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Mathematics Education Digital Library (NSDL): A collaborative
project is being conducted by the University Corporation for
Atmospheric Research (UCAR), Cornell University and Columbia
University to develop the essential technical and organizational
infrastructure to support the coordination and management
of the digital library's distributed collections, as well
as the design and implementation of core services. Overall
project management and key community building and outreach
efforts are being conducted through UCAR. Team members at
Cornell have primary responsibility for development of the
software and networking infrastructure, and team members at
Columbia are responsible for sustainability plans and intellectual
property and digital rights management issues. At the second
annual NSDL All-Projects meeting in December 2001, a technical
architecture was presented that supports a "spectrum
of interoperability" across diverse collections and services,
as well as an organizational basis for engaging the educational
community in the building of the digital library. All projects
of NSDL will be working toward an initial "launch"
of the digital library in late Fall 2002.

Refurbishment of ALVIN with Plans for Replacement:
The manned deep-sea research submersible operated by Wood's
Hole Oceanographic Institute's National Deep Sea Submergence
Facility underwent a major overhaul and recertification in
2001. The ALVIN, which began operating in 1964, has been an
extraordinary tool for exploring the deep ocean. A design
study for an ALVIN replacement with greater depth capabilities
also was funded this year.

Advances in Nanotechnology: Scientists at
Pennsylvania State University have developed a precise method
for making nanoscale, closely-spaced metal wires. The process
could speed miniaturization of electronic devices used for
circuits, high-density data storage and sensors. The new process
fabricated wires that range from 15-70 nanometers wide and
a few micrometers long and are spaced 10 to 40 nanometers
apart. Using organic molecules as "molecular rulers,"
scientists expanded the molecules into nano-scale structures
with precise amounts of spacing between them, and then used
those spaces as miniature molds for gold wires. The ability
to create such precisely sized, parallel nano-wires is expected
to be useful in the development of molecular electronics,
in which molecules connected by such wires will serve as transistors,
switches and other electronic devices. NSF, the Army Research
Office (ARO), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
(DARPA), and the Office of Naval Research (ONR) funded this
research. It was conducted at one of NSF's National Nanofabrication
Users Network (NNUN) facilities. NNUN provides research and
industrial communities with infrastructure and equipment to
make nanoscale devices in small quantities. NNUN focuses research
on control of properties at the atomic-molecular level, their
assembly into nanostructured materials, and the utilization
of the improved materials as building blocks for engineering
applications, such as thin films and coatings, advanced chemical
catalysts, artificial biomaterials, and novel optoelectronic
devices.

Scientists at Harvard University have pioneered
an entirely new technique for manipulating matter at the nanoscale.
The Harvard group uses a low-energy beam of ions (charged
atoms) to poke tiny holes in thin films and membranes, producing
structures that in turn may be used to make solid-state devices
with a variety of applications ranging from nano-electronics
to medicine. They call the technique "ion-beam sculpture"
and have used it, for example, to fabricate a robust electronic
detector capable of registering single DNA molecules in aqueous
solution. Such detectors may find use in rapid sequencing
of DNA for medical diagnostics and rapid drug design for large
populations.

Researchers at Northwestern University have made
a significant development in the use of nanotubes in fabricating
a flat panel screen display. The prototype screen uses hundreds
of thousands of stationary nanotubes, which emit electrons
to light up pixels on the screen. Unlike a standard Cathode
Ray Tube (CRT) screen, in which one electron beam emitted
from a hot filament moves rapidly back and forth to light
the pixels, each pixel is lit by its own electron beam. The
screen can be slim, the emission steady. And the resolution
is extremely high. Once nanotubes can be manufactured in bulk,
large screens could be fabricated very cheaply without expensive
lithographic techniques.

New Instrumentation for Antarctic Borehole Research:
Several new instruments have been developed for glaciology:
hot water ice-drilling equipment, ice-coring equipment, and
borehole video equipment and methodology. The ice borehole
video probe, built by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is an
instrument that enables visual observation of ice rock material
at depth in glaciers and ice sheets, accessed in water-filled
boreholes drilled by the hot-water-jet ice drilling method.
Borehole video will probably be of much importance in the
exploration of Lake Vostok. Data recovered from these instruments
has improved understanding of mechanisms of ice stream formation,
implications for possible collapse of the West Antarctic ice
sheet, and potential effects on sea level.

Icebreaker Healy Steams to Arctic on
First Science Cruise to Study Crust Formation: Researchers
funded by NSF sailed on the maiden scientific voyage of the
U.S. Coast Guard's newest icebreaker to study one of the world's
slowest growing oceanic ridges, with an eye to understanding
how the Earth's crust forms. The USCGC Healy, outfitted
as a scientific research vessel with input from NSF and the
University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS),
carried out the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge Expedition (AMORE)
from late June until early October 2001. The Healy
later sailed with the German research vessel Polarstearn to
sample and study the Gakkel Ridge, a little known geological
feature in the Atlantic Ocean. Among the important discoveries
on this expedition were the recovery of fresh sulfides indicating
hydrothermal vent presence in the Arctic Ocean, and an as
yet unexplained "discontinuity" of volcanic activity
along the Gakkel Ridge.

Internet Advancement through Network Middleware:
Current networked applications are managed at the "endpoints"
- all the functionality of applications is custom-built into
applications that run over the simple services provided by
the "best-effort" Internet. Middleware is a new
software level for developing distributed applications; it
will provide more convenient, high level services for networked
applications such as network storage, authentication, or auctions.
These services, in turn, will reduce the cost of software
while increasing functionality and reliability. Futuristic
applications will be enabled, such as requests for a later
flight made on a wireless device, which then brokers for best
times and prices, arranges payment for a new ticket and refund
for the unused ticket, and downloads an e-ticket into the
user's hands. NSF is funding awards for middleware test beds
for development and deployment.

Third-Generation Virtual Reality Devices under
Development: Researchers atthe Electronic Visualization
Laboratory (EVL) at the University of Illinois, Chicago are
pioneers in virtual reality (VR) research focusing on developing
tools, techniques and hardware to support real-time, highly
interactive visualization. Current efforts, funded through
NSF's Major Research Instrumentation program, continue through
the development of VR devices, software libraries/toolkits
and applications for collaborative exploration of data over
national and global high-speed networks - often called "tele-immersion."
After building first and second-generation VR devices (CAVE
in 1991 and the ImmersaDesk in 1995) to support tele-immersion
applications, EVL is now conducting research in third-generation
VR devices to construct variable resolution and desktop-office-sized
displays. They continue to develop and refine a robust and
VR-device-independent software library, as well as the software
tools for building tele-immersion applications. This software
infrastructure supports collaboration in design, training,
scientific visualization, and computational steering in VR.
Through advanced networking techniques, researchers can access
distributed computing, storage and display resources more
efficiently than ever.

Creation of the National Historical Geographic
Information System (NHGIS): A major infrastructure project
funded by NSF at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
has established the National Historical Geographic Information
System (NHGIS) to upgrade and enhance U. S. Census databases
from 1790 to the present. This includes the digitization of
all census geography so that place-specific information can
be readily used in geographic information systems. The NHGIS
consists of three major components:

Data-Access will create a powerful but user-friendly,
Web-based browser and extraction system based on the
new DDI metadata standard.

The completed system will provide public access
free of charge to both documentation and data, with results
in the form of tables or maps. Through these activities, the
NHGIS will become a resource that can be used widely for social
science training, by the media, for policy research at state
and local levels, by the private sector, and in secondary
education.

Bow-Shock Observed Near Galactic Center:
The Gemini Observatories, newest of the large facilities available
to the US astronomical community, passed from commissioning
and construction into early science operations in this fiscal
year. With both telescopes obtaining data, astronomers have
full sky coverage with identical 8-meter-class telescopes
for the first time ever. Results from Gemini North are already
appearing in the press, with the first demonstration data
of the galactic center having been released to the public.
Using an adaptive optics system that was funded by NSF and
built by the University of Hawaii, these images represent
the sharpest images ever obtained over such a large area of
our Galaxy's center. The images clearly reveal the morphology
of a previously unresolved object called IRS-8 as a `bow-shock'
from a star moving rapidly relative to a gas cloud.